Heat hurting your mental and physical health: local psychiatrist says

A psychiatrist explains how extreme heat can worsen mood and depression and why some medications can increase the risk.

The heat may be impacting your mental and physical health, according to a local psychiatrist.

It can limit your energy or increase your stress.

"It's hard to describe; it's just brutal out here," Andrey Ramirez, a Dallas food truck vendor, said. "They don't smile anymore. I mean, they just like be tired. I mean, they'll be walking down. I mean, come get their food. I'm like, I don't think they happen to come out here, but I mean then they gotta eat."

Not only is the lunch rush in a slump at Klyde Warren Park. A hotter-than-normal summer has also taken a toll on the physical and mental health of many.

"So when your serotonin goes down, you feel unhappy, you feel irritable, you become impulsive, you feel angry, and you're not motivated to do anything," Dr. Sharma said. "But in these extreme heat situations, there's an exacerbation of your underlying psychiatric problems in general. So people with depression will experience worsening of their depression. I never thought about that."

Dr. Aditya Sharma is a psychiatrist and head of Medical City McKinney's Outpatient Behavioral Health Services. Sharma warns that medications can also make the heat less tolerable, increasing the chances of dehydration or worse. So besides staying hydrated, it's important to take prescriptions correctly and track your heart rate.

"As soon as we got here, I thought, I don't know how long we'll last with that, because it feels like I'm in an oven," Julie Astbury said while at the park.

It's something Joel Astbury, who takes antidepressant medication, plans to take up with his doctor.

"No, that makes sense because it really- what it does for me is it just, like, completely zaps all the energy from me," Joel said.

"Be cognizant of your condition and don't risk that much," Sharma said.